In the 1930's, it was found by Langmuir and Blodgett that a fatty acid having from about 16 to about 22 carbon atoms forms a monomolecular film on the surface of water and the film can be built up on a substrate. In recent years, studies on technical applications of the built-up films have been taken up.
The previous studies are summarized, e.g., in Kotai Butsuri (Solid Physics), Vol. 17 (12), p.45 (1982), Thin Solid Films, Vol. 68, No. 1 (1980), ibid, Vol. 99, Nos. 1, 2 & 3 (1983), G. I. Gains, Insoluble Monolayers at Liquid-Gas Interfaces, Interscience Publishers, New York (1966), etc. Most of the reported applications of a Langmuir-Blodgett film (hereinafter referred to as LB film) to electric-electronic devices concern straight-chain saturated fatty acids or fatty acids having a polymerizable group and esters thereof, and interesting results with respect to initial characteristics have been obtained. However, these LB films are insufficient in heat resistance and other properties and have a problem of insufficient reliability for use in practical electric-electronic devices.